Coating device



NW. L 3932, SAGUE L883331 COATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 24, 1927 3Sheets-Sheet 2 lll-llllllllmlmluntliw New, L W32. G. SAGUE COATINGDEVICE Filed Qct. 24, 1927 5 Sheefc-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 1,1932 UNITED STATES GEORGE SAGUE, OF CAKES,

oon'rmdfnavrcn Application filed October 24, 1927. serial no, 228,331.

This invention relates to a coating device for use in combination withother machines, for the purpose of applying gumor other liquid to theflap of' an envelope or other article, or the device may be employed tomoisten with water the gummed flap of a usual stock envelope.

As shown in the drawings, the device is illustrated as in combinationwith an inserting and gathering or mailing machine.

In the distribution of large quantities of circulars or other secondclass matter, an envelope is often employed which has one open end, withor without a tucked-in flap, and in inserting the contents therein, ithas been found to advantage to insert the matter from the side of theenvelope in the usual manner, and after said contents have been soinserted, to seal one of the side flaps which has been left open forthat purpose.

Also in handling the envelopes and to reduce cost it has been foundadvantageous to leave the flap which is to be sealed, without adhesive,and. to apply said adhesive after the envelope is filled.

While there are machines for filling. or

placing inserts or the matter to be mailed into the envelopes andmoistening the gum on the flap and sealing the same, there is no machinethat contains means for applying gum or adhesive to the blank flaps ofafilled enevlope during its travel through the machine, and this is thesubject of the present invention. This same device may also be employedin gumming wrappers, such as are used for newspapers, magazines, etc.;and the device can also be used to apply the gum in the manufacture ofenvelopes, wrappers, and in the gumming of fabric as used in makingbooks; also for applying covers to magazines, and in fact where ever itis desired to apply gum or other liquid in the manner shown.

In applying gum or adhesive to the flaps of envelopes the usual methodemployed has been to either pass the flap over a water wheel, oradhesive wheel carrying the liquid. or to rotate the wheel over theflap, and to have a part of the wheel submerged in a tank containing theliquid, which in some cases is cold and in others is heated,but by thismethod the amount of adhesive applied can not be regulated and in manycases the flap and envelope become smeared with gum and the envelopeswill stick together, the machine becomes sticky, and in the case of hotgum, the machine will become clogged up after standing idle, and willrequire cleaning.

One ofthe objects of the invention, is to provide a gummmg device thatmay be used with the usual type of inserting and mailing NEWvonmhssrenonwo GEORGE sheen config- A conronnrronor NEW YORK machine inwhich the envelopes travel through the machine during the cycle ofopening, fillin closing, etc.

Another ObJGCt being to provide means whereby a small but sufiicient,film of gum is applied to the flap without flooding, or smearing otherparts of the envelope, or ma chine.

A further object being to provide means whereby'the quantity of gum oradhesive carried by the transfer or applying roller is regulated and afresh surface always presented to the flap of the envelope or otherarticle.

One of the most important objects of the invention is to provide adevice of this kind, so constructed that when a miss occurs, that iswhen an envelope or other article to be gummedjfnisses and there is nosurface to re ceive theflgum, there will not be any contact between thegumming roller and the support or other part of the machine, so that themachine cannot become gummed up, as is the case in all other gummingdevices, where the article to be gummed misses and is not in place thegum is deposited on the machine and the next article will stick to it. A

While as before stated the device may be with few changes adapted to anymachine for gumming or moistening the flaps of envelopes or wrappers. Ihave herewith shown and described the device as applied to the form ofinserting and mailing machine which forms the subject of an applicationfor U. S. patent, filed by me on July 29, 1927, Serial No. 209.273.

Withthese and other objects in view, my inventionjconsistsin certainconstruction and combination of parts as will hereinafter be fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich like figures of reference refer to corresponding parts in all ofthe views, but it is understood that I do not confine myself to theexact desi as shown as slight changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of such a machine as shownin the above referred to application and shows the gumming or coatingdevice as applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the transfer or liquidapplying roller, and a section of the article supporting rack.

Figure 4 isa transverse section of the same.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the machine showing the method ofoperating the transfer roller.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the machine, taken from theopposite end to show the method of operating the stock roller.

Fi re 7 is a partial view of Figure 5 showlng the transfer roller in itscontact position withthe stock drum.

Referring to the drawings, I will in a general way describe sufiicientof the construction and operation of the inserting and mailing machineforming the subject matter of the above referred to application, toillustrate the purpose and action of the gumming device, so that thesame may be fully understood.

The inserting and mailing machine comprises two units, a gathering unitfor collecting together the inserts or contents of the envelopes, andcomprising in part a main frame composed of the two parallel members 10and 11, provided with suitable supply stations and collecting means, notherewith shown as they in no way affect the present invention; and aninserting unit, comprising in part two parallel members 12 and 13 withsuitable mechanism for inserting the collected matter into theenvelopes, which is not shown herewith as it also does not affect thepresent invention in any way with the exception of the means employedfor conveying the envelope through the machine, and which comprises inpart, the track 14, (see Figures 5 and 6) which is secured to or isintegral with the members 12 and 13, and the endless conveyor chain 15,provided at intervals with special gripper links 16, formed with thetongues 17, and which travel in the groove 18 of the track 14; saidchain being operated in the usual way by sprockets (not shown) which aremounted at each end of the machine.

The grippers 16 are provided with a jaw member 19, pivoted in the bodyas at 20, with a depending arm 21, and a spring 22 for normally holdingthe jaw in a closed position; said jaw being opened at predeterminedintervals to receive the end of the envelope,

The gumming or coating device-comprises,"

a stock tank 23, secured by the flanges 24 and the screws 25 to themembers 10 and here intended to contain a cold adhesive, but which maybe provided with any suitable heating device for use with hot glue.

The ends of said stock tank 23 are provided with the U-shaped bearings26 Within which is detachably mounted a shaft 27, by the locking pins28; and upon said shaft 27 is secured the stock drum 29, which may be ofaluminum or other suitable material and which is partly submerged in theliquid, and is rotated continuously, or with an intermittent movement inthe direction indicated, the excess liquid being removed therefrom by ascraper bar 30 having a beveled edge 31 in scraping contact with saiddrum' 29, and secured to the tank by the screws 32, or mountedv in someother suitable manner.

An intermittent and partial rotary movement is imparted to said drum 29in the following manncr, (see Figure 6).

To one end of the shaft 27 is secured a ratchet wheel 33, and pivoted ona stud 34 projecting from the end of the tank 23 is one end of an arm35, the other end of which has pivoted thereto a pawl 36 for engagementwith said ratchet 33, and retained in contact therewith by the action ofthe spring 37, which is mounted on the bearing pin 38 and has its endsengaged by the pins 39 and 40.

Pivoted on the same bearing pin 38 is one end of a link 41, the lowerend of which is pivoted by the pin 42 to the outer end of an arm 43, theinner end of which is pivoted on the shaft 66 in the bearing 44, securedto the frame member 13 by the bolt 45.

Said arm 43 is provided with a roller 46 on a stud 47, and said roller46 is in contact with and operated by a cam 48 which is secured on adrive shaft 49, which is mounted in the bearings 50 secured to the framemember 51 or other suitable part of the machine; the roller 46 beingretained in contact with the cam by the action of a spring 52 secured tosaid arm 43 and to some suitable part of the machine, and it will benoted that the drum 29 is rotated by the action of said spring 52, andthat the return or idle move-v ment of the pawl 36 is effected by thecam 48, the purpose of this being, that in case the drum has stood idlein the adhesive and become stuck to the scraper bar 30, that no harmwill be done by starting up the machine, the cam revolving without theroller following it, until the drum has been released.

It may here be noted that if desired the' studs 47 and 68 on which aremoimted the rollers 46 and 67 may be secured to the arms in anadjustable manner so that the downward movement of the arms may bevaried to give adjustment to the travel of the transfer roller 58. I c

On the upper side of the frame members 12 and 13 are secured plates 53,which form a part of the inserting machine unit, and on the same planetherewith is mounted an envelope flap supporting rack 54 which is formedwith a series of spaced teeth 55, (see Figures 1 and 3) which aredirectly under the flap 56 of the envelope as it is conveyed through themachine.

For transferring the adhesive from the stock drum 29 to the flap 56 ofthe envelope 57 there is employed a transfer roller 58 which is brokenup into a series of narrow faced contact surfaces by the grooves 59;said roller being preferably of rubber or other suitable material andbeing of approximately the length of the envelope flap, and mounted on ashaft 60, which shaft is freely rotatably mounted in the outer ends of apair of arms 61, which have their other ends pivoted to the studs 34 and62 projecting from the ends of the tank.

One of said arms 61 (see Figure 5) "is provided with a stud 63, andpivoted thereon is one end of a link 64, the lower end of which ispivoted to the outer end of an arm 65; the rear end of said arm 65 beingpivoted to the shaft 66 mounted in the bearings 44.

At suitable location on the arm 65 is mounted a roller 67 on the stud68; and said roller 67 is in" contact with and actuated by a cam 69mounted on the shaft 49; and the roller 67 is held in contact with saidcam 69 by the action of a spring 70, one end of which is secured to saidarm 65 and the other end to some suitable part of the machine; and thisspring acts in the same manner to exert the forward movement of theroller 58 to prevent accident if the roller is stuck to the stock drum.

It will thus be seen that by the action of the cam 69 on the roller 67,the arm 65 is raised, which will by the link 64 raise the arms 61 andbring the transfer roller 58 into contact with the stock drum 29 asshown in Figure 7, and in this position said roller 58 will be coatedwith adhesive or other liquid held by the tank, by the partial rotationof the drum 29, the large diameter of said drum and the small diameterof the roller, requiring only a partial revolution of said drum to fullycover the surfaces of the roller.

To prevent the formation of any film of liquid across the grooves of thetransfer roller, there is attached to the front of the tank 23 astripper plate 71 by the screws 72, and said stripper plate 71 is formedwith a series of teeth 73 which enter the grooves 59 of the transferroller 58 and as the transfer roller has been given a rotary movement bythe stock drum 29, it willy make a complete revolution while passingsaid teeth 73 and the excess liquid will be scraped back into the tank23. I

Now by suitable timing of the main machine, as the transfer roller 58 islowered its surfaces will come into contact with the flap 56 of theenvelope 57 which has been brought into position in registry with saidroller 58, and the action of the spring will press said roller 58 ontothe flap and the flap slightly between the fingers 55 of the plate 54,thus not only insuring a' perfect contact between the transfer roller 58and the flap 56, but presenting a greater surface of the roller 58 tothe flap 56.

By the proper timing of the mechanism, the contact of said transferroller 58 with the flap 56 is brief, and it will be seen that theenvelope 57 only has to travel a distance equal to the length of onegroove 59 and one liquid applying surface 58 of the roller, to fullycover the length of the flap 56 with the liquid, and the transfer roller58 does not have to be in contact with the flap 56 during the totaltimein which it takes the envelope to pass the coating device, thusallowing plenty of time for the transfer roller 58 to be raised andagain coated with liquid before the next envelope reaches the coatingdevice.

As hereshown the width of the band of liquid applied is of the properwidth for the flap of the envelope, but this width may be varied forother purposes, first by having a transfer roller of larger diameter,thus bringing a greater surface into contact with the flap, and secondby forming the supporting comb or grid with a concave surface to conformto the radius of the roller, and in this manner a wide contact surfacecan be obtained.

It will also be noted that when said transfer roller is in its liquidapplying position, the coating surfaces register with and slightly enterinto the grooves 59, and do not in any manner come into contact with anypart of the machine, thus insuring that no liquid can be deposited onthe machine if there is no article on the support to receive it, thuspreventing the machine from becoming stuck up with gum, or other liquid.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

A liquid coating device for envelopes and the like, comprising incombination with means for conveying a succession of envelopes throughthe device with their flaps open, a liquid stock tank located adjacentthe path of travel of the envelopes and a supply drum mounted in saidtank and adapted to be rotated in a direction at right angles to thedirection of travel of the envelopes, of a comb-shaped plate mountedbelow the envelope flap and adapted to support the same while beingcoated, a transfer roller formed with a series of spaced grooves,'means0 erated in timed relation to the movement 0 the envelope for bringingsaid trans'fer roller, first into contact with the supply drum and theninto contact with the flap of the envelope for applying the coatingthereto, and a stripper plate mounted on said tank in the path of travelof the transfer roller for the purpose of removing the excess coatingliquid from the grooves thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

GEORGE SAGUE.

